N.Y. Hospital Uses New Device to Treat Aneurysms

New York-based Lenox Hill Hospital said Monday that is one of 20 U.S. centers taking part in a study evaluating a new device to treat brain aneurysms without conventional surgery.

The trial is investigating the flow re-direction endoluminal device, a small, metallic mesh tube placed in the parent artery to divert blood away from an aneurysm without having to go into the aneurysm itself. The product is manufactured by Terumo subsidiary MicroVention.

Since the FRED device is not placed inside the aneurysm, the risk of rupture during surgery is significantly decreased, says hospital Division of Neurosurgery Director Dr. David J. Langer. He adds that the device enables doctors to target large, complex aneurysms that were previously too difficult to treat.

Conventional aneurysm treatment consists of clipping and coiling, which both rely on a craniotomy, the hospital notes.

Patients between the ages of 22 and 75 with aneurysms more than 7 mm and are poor candidates for traditional treatment are eligible for the trial. About 6 million people in the U.S. have an unruptured cerebral aneurysm. — Jason Scott